When I asked TechRepublic members in November 2009 how they felt about the programming job market, 48% responded that it's bad, but it's getting better. Even more interesting is that 21% said that it's good, and it's getting better.

Based on the reports I've been reading, the job market is getting better — programmers are a hot commodity again. I have seen some anecdotal evidence to support this trend (i.e., friends going on interviews, job ads being sent to me by recruiters, and so on). But these numbers don't tell the entire story. For instance, maybe the jobs are low-value or weird niche jobs; or, maybe companies are hiring, but the salaries are stagnant or still a bit down. Earlier in the year, I saw a wave of jobs come and go, but the compensation packages were pretty unattractive, so I wasn't really impressed.

From what you are seeing, are the programming jobs back? If so, are those jobs worth having?